The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by: Erin Dionne

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by: Erin Dionne

Published: February 4, 2010 by Dial

Other Books by this author: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies and Elsie Wyatt Loves/Hates the Marching Band

Summary: To die or not to die of utter mortification . . .

Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that’s not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet’s genius seven year-old sister will attend middle school with her— and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she—like her family—is anything but average.

In a novel every bit as funny as her debut, Erin Dionne has created another eighth grader whose situation is utterly unique—but whose foibles and farces will resound with every girl currently suffering through middle school.

Review: The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet was a cute,quick read that I would recommend to fellow middle-schoolers.

Hamlet Kennedy has just started 8th grade and she already knows that it's going to be a bad year for her. Hamlet's genius little sister who is only seven is going to eight grade with her,she discovers an embarassing new talent, someone is leaving oragami pigs in her locker,her parents are going to be teaching an English class about Shakespeare, and on top of that she is failing pre-al!

Having read Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies I was expecting a cute,funny read which was exactly what a got but with great character flaws. TTTGNH was such a humorous read. Most of the characters I found realistic but annoying.

I liked Hamlet most of the time but geez,girl could not take a joke! Anytime a guy would make a joke towards her she would freak out. i could understand if she got angry every once in a while but like every time someone would make a joke about her name-expecting her to laugh-she would lash out on them. Saber and Mauri, the antagonists of the book, I hated of course. Dezzie I was a little confused with. I can understand her being a kid genius but how can she skip high school but have to go to eight grade and college? I hated Hamlet's parents also. They were COMPLETELY CLUELESS about Hamlet and her life. It made them seem that they were never kids before. They ruined parts of the book for me.

Overall: Sometimes, parents ruin all the fun.

4 Stars